Burgas.
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Overview

Burgas (Bulgarian: Бургас, also romanised Bourgas) is a city on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, the fourth largest in the country and the second largest of its ports. It's a gateway to the southern resorts, such as Sunny Beach and the historic towns Nesebar and Sozopol.

Understand

Burgas lies at the bottom of the Burgas gulf, surrounded by several sizable lakes separated by narrow strips of land from the sea. The bulk of the city is on a peninsula between the Atanasovsko Lake to the north, the Black Sea to the east and south, and Lake Vaya to the west (also known as Burgas Lake, Burgasko ezero). Further south is Lake Mandra, a natural lake converted to a freshwater reservoir.

With a population of over 300,000, Burgas is the fourth largest city in the country (after Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna). It's the administrative centre of Burgas Province, the largest by area of Bulgaria's 27 provinces. The province takes up the whole southern coast of Bulgaria, and Nature Park Strandzha inland.

The area has been inhabited since ancient times. There were a number of small fishing settlements and minor fortifications, but they were slow to develop due to the pressure of nearby Nesebar and Sozopol, major trade centres at the time. At the end of the 19th century, Burgas was a town with fewer than 3000 inhabitants.

After the Liberation of Bulgaria (1878), Burgas remained in the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which joined Bulgaria with the Unification of 1885. The Gulf of Burgas made it a suitable site for a modern port, and in the beginning of the 20th century Burgas quickly developed as a port city and a base of the Bulgarian Navy. Trade and industry have remained the main driving force of the city to this day. In the 1960s, the Communist regime built an oil terminal and a large oil refinery, which is still the largest on the Balkans.

Burgas is also the tourism gateway to the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, including the picturesque old towns Nesebar and Sozopol and the "Bulgarian Riviera", the built-up resort area surrounding the Bay of Nesebar (including Sunny Beach).

The districts of Burgas: Centre – the nightlife, hotels and sights are located here, bus station, train station, shopping area. Directly east of it is the Sea Garden and the Central Beach, directly south is the port. Vazrazhdane – a residential area on the western side of the city centre, with houses and low-rise buildings. Bratya Miladinovi – a residential area north-west of the city centre Lazur – a residential area north-east of the city centre; it contains a number of hotels due to its proximity to the Sea Garden; north of it is the Lake Park (park Ezero) on the southern side of Atanasovko Lake Zornitsa and Izgrev – Communism-era residential areas to the north of Bratya Miladinovi, on the south-western and western sides of Atanasovko Lake. Slaveykov – another Communism-era residential area to the west of Izgrev and Zornitsa. Not of interest to tourists. Contains the campus of the Asen Zlatarov University, a park, and the longest "panel block" in Bulgaria - Block №55. Akatziite and Pobeda – mostly industrial areas south of central Burgas, on the isthmus separating Lake Vaya and the sea. Meden Rudnik (lit. "Copper Mine") – outlying neighbourhood south-west of the main city, between Lake Vaya to the north and Mandrensko Lake to the south-east Former villages absorbed as outlying neighbourhoods, far from the city centre: Sarafovo – north-east from Burgas, across Atanasovsko Lake. Home to Burgas Airport. Nowadays quite an expensive neighbourhood, with its own beaches. Has its own beach. Dolno Ezerovo – on the north bank of Lake Vaya, away from the city. Gorno Ezerovo – on the south bank of Lake Vaya, away from the city.

Tourist information Official tourism portal - Available in English and Russian in addition to Bulgarian.

Get in

Buses and trains from different destinations in Bulgaria arrive several times per day.

Regular trains run to Sofia and other major cities in Bulgaria. There are no international connections (anymore). A change in Sofia is required.

There are very convenient buses from every city in the country to Burgas. Most of the buses coming to the city have a few stops before reaching the Central bus station in the south. There are also many buses coming from Turkey and Greece.

Domestic bus lines: Every operating company has their own reservation system. Some of the companies that run bus lines to the city are Union Ivkoni, Kaleya.

International: Eurolines runs regular international bus lines to/from Burgas, e.g. Romania.

Destinations: Regional: Bulgaria Air offers every day flights to/from Sofia.

International: WizzAir offers flights to London Luton, and seasonal flights to Budapest, Katowice, and Warsaw. S7 flies to Moscow.

Seasonal: In addition during the summer season from May until September charter companies offer flights from UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, etc. to Burgas. Check the Burgas airport website to receive actual information on departing/arriving airlines operating this season.

UK: There are direct regular flights between Burgas and Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gatwick, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Stansted in the summer months with 3 new flights added for 2014 from Cambridge, Newquay and Southend.

A ferry operates weekly between Burgas and Batumi, Georgia, operated by PBM. It is basically a cargo ship with extra space for passengers. Depending on the weather the journey takes 2-4 days. Passengers pay including 3 meals a day and the cabin. Expect delays and unclear communication about tickets and departure.

Get around

By bus Burgas has well developed public bus system. Buses travel also to all resorts and cities along the coastline.

Public transport runs regularly from 05:00-23:00. There are both buses and trolleys. Tickets are sold in the bus by special collectors and you should pay to them. The Easyway website has more information.

There are also small mini-buses that run regularly and cover some routes of the city. You should pay to the driver when you get off the mini-bus.

By bicycle Burgas is best explored on bicycle, especially along the promenade and north to the salt pond.

By thumb Hitchhiking is also a very popular and successful means of transportation in the region.

By taxi Taxis are a convenient yet pricey way to travel around. There are many licensed operating companies. Be careful with scammers and always keep an eye to their tax-counter machine. Normally tariffs vary from 0.80–0.90 лв/km (August 2009).

See

The city of Burgas developed after the beginning of the 20th century and most of the buildings in the city centre date from this time. At the center is Troika Square. The city's Gallery of Fine Arts is hosted in a secession style synagogue.

Ethnographic Museum. Includes various ethno exhibitions in its program, offers summer school of Arts, Crafts and Dances.

Archaeological Museum. Variety of exhibitions, ancient Roman, Byzantine and Greek antiques.

Historical Museum. Tells both local and national history, various guest exhibitions from other museums and countries.

Natural History Museum. Covers flora, fauna, subjects of medicine, physics, various thematic exhibitions.

In winter museums closed Saturday and Sundays.

There are many galleries as well, some of them are Bogoridi, Briz - Boiadzhiev, and Petko Zadgorski Art Gallery.

Nature The Flora is an international exhibition for flowers held annually since 1985. It takes place in pavilions in the Sea Garden (Morksa gradina) near the North Beach. Its motto is Nature-Human-Harmony and visitors are welcome to enjoy the picturesque atmosphere among the flowers and also buy rare or uncommon plants. The Flora is held usually in the end of April - beginning of May but most of the flower compositions stay for the public until the late summer.

Poda. Is protected area part of huge wetland area, vitally important as a resting station for many birds using the East European migration route known as the Via Ponticum. As well as many waders, gulls and terns there are also rare and threatened species such as Pygmy cormorants, Dalmatian pelicans and Red-breasted geese which may be seen feeding here. For birdwatchers from other countries the Burgas region is famous as a migration viewpoint.Poda can be reached by public transport. It is situated on the South exit/entrance of Burgas on Highway E87—the road to Sozopol—just before the turn for Kreimorie.The conservation centre building is specially designed for its purposes: the centre has three large terraces as viewpoints for birds. Inside exhibitions illustrate the great variety of Poda's nature.

Sea Garden. The city has this huge park with variety of green species and fantastic view to the Burgas Bay. The garden starts from the central bus and train station. There are small stairs to the sandy beach and in summer the coast is full of cafes and nightclubs.

Mosta. A t-shaped pier at the sea garden - one branch of the "t" has stairs up to a viewing platform, locals boys practise diving off the other branch. It's a nice place for a walk, or you can sit at the nearby cafe and watch the world go by.

Flamingos. Especially around August, flamingos can be seen all around the salt ponds and lakes north of Burgas.

Walking in the garden little by little it becomes wilder and you reach the salt-pans. The 'salt-factories' produce many tons of salt every year. A small train runs across the salt-pans, riding it you can see how salt is made and refined. The salt-pans are part of the Atanasovsko lake waters.

Because the city is a trade centre, it has always been open to new religions and foreigners. The St Kiril and Metodii church is located in the city center. Also visit the Armenian church located next to Bulgaria Hotel.

Burgas lakes Three lakes surround Burgas:

Vaya (the Burgas) lake – the largest natural lake in Bulgaria. It is located to the west of Burgas. The water is 4-11% salty. Fresh water comes from 3 rivers and the neighboring Mandrensko lake that is turned to dam. The lake waters are dirty and it is not recommended to swim there. A lot of people go fishing there. Via Pontica – one of the largest bird migration ‘highways’ passes over the lake and more than 250 bird species can be seen there. Carp fishing is popular in the lake. Atanasovsko lake – It is located to the North of Burgas. The water is 20–27.5% salty and this makes it very favorable for salt-production. Its northern side is connected to the Black Sea. The Burgas – Nesebar – Varna road passes through the lake. Due to the specific salt flora in the region more than 70% of all birds that can be seen in Bulgaria can be seen in the Atanasovo lake zone especially during the autumn migration. Part of the lake is natural reserve and are under restricted access. Mandrensko lake – It is south of Burgas. Until 1934 it was salty lake but later its structure was changed and a dam was constructed here. Today it is not a salty lake. Four rivers get into the lake. Via Pontica – one of the largest bird migration ‘highways’ passes over the lake. On the side of the Mandrensko lake is located the Poda bird and sparrow watching zone.

Do

Water and sand activities In summer you can go surfing and kite-surfing in the bay. There are a few surf and sea sports schools, which you can find on the North Beach. You can also book diving.

St. Anastasia island (formerly known as Bolshevik island) is visible from any point from the Burgas beach. Boats to St. Anastasia island leave from the Bridge. Offered in July and August, leaving at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00.

Bourgas Sand Fest. A festival of sand sculptures held from the beginning of July until the end of August. The sand covers more than 4 ha. in the northern part of the Sea Garden (near the Park Hotel) artists from all over the world (Indonesia, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Ukraine, Russia and of course Bulgaria) create stunning sand sculptures. Entrance is free. Everyone is welcome to take pictures.

Burgas Yachting Week. Takes place at the end of April near the Port and the Most (The Bridge) on the beach. Participants are usually 20-30 yachts from Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Dead Sea. Several small salt ponds for bathing. They are not deep but contain so much salt that you can easily float. This makes for some great pictures. It also includes loads of mud, you can use to apply to all of your skin, which is supposed to have health benefits. This is all very similar to the real Dead Sea. Even though the site is typical Eastern Europe style, it can be fun going here. After having applied the mud to your body and unfold its full potential, you can head out, cross the cycle lane and have a refreshing and cleansing dip into the Black Sea...

Burgas Mineral Baths. There is regular bus line that runs on 30 min intervals, buses are leaving from the bus stop at the New Post. The mineral springs are hot (41°C) and lightly mineralised (0.604 g/L). The spa center is surrounded by huge forest-like garden. The place is ideal for a picnic.

Other sports and activities Carting Speedway, 126 Stefan Stambolov Bul (Kolodruma), Working time: 11:00-20:30, Speedway - length: 320 m, width: 4 m.

You can also do some extreme sports like paragliding or moto-paragliding. Courses and tandem-flights are offered as well. Sky Dog Fly Centre, 4 Troykata Sq., fl.2, office 8

Small companies offer a range of activities for tourists and for local people. One of them is PH QUADS which offer an amazing Quad Bike / ATV safari around the hills of Marinka - small village between Burgas and Sozopol with splendid nature.

Eurovision Song Contest is next held on 11-15 May 2027 in Arena Burgas.

Spirit of Burgas. Takes place for 3 days in the City Central Beach every mid-August. On a number of scenes visitors can enjoy all kinds of music - ethno, rock, pop, indie, Latino and electro. Bands such as Faith No More, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Kosheen, LTJ Bukem, The Sisters of Mercy, Bonobo, The Crystal Method have been on scene. Workshops for dancing and music are part of the event. In 2009 The Times (UK) rated the festival as one of the best in Europe. Camping tickets should be purchased as 3-day package.

International Folklore Festival. It's one of the oldest international music events in the city. It started in 1965 as festival for Balkan dances and music but later expanded and until today more than 18 000 dancers from more than 400 dance formations from all over the world have been part of it. The festival is held at the end of August in number of venues - Open Air Theatre and scenes in the city garden and central squares. It also offers seminars on the folklore traditions, souvenir shopping and traditional arts and crafts demonstrations.

Cinema In winter you can go to see a movie. All movies are subtitled in Bulgarian and rarely there are voiceovers so if the movie is in English, you won't have problems. There are few exceptions for children's movies. Cinema: Trakia cinema (6 Tzar Asen Str.)

Buy

Shopping area is in the center of the town. It consists of two main streets and a few more small ones. The prices are reasonable. Some of the shops offer local brands while others are international (Benetton, etc.)

Gold shops are pretty popular. Most of the gold jewellery is imported from Turkey.

Silver jewelry is offered on stands on the high street.

A few shopping malls are constructed in the city but the global crunch postponed some of them. The Burgas Plaza Mall is at the end of Izgrev living districts. To get there from the city centre, take bus 211 and get off at the last stop.

International chains like Billa, Carrefour and Metro can also be found in the city.

Eat

Burgas has an abundance of eating establishments.

There are many pizza places, pubs serving international food, Chinese restaurants. On the main streets there are kebabs, pancakes, hot dogs and hamburgers for about 2–4 лв.

In summer many open air restaurants and pubs pop up by the sea. The area with the largest number of seaside restaurants and pubs is called Kapanite and it is on the North Beach in the Sea Garden.

Kapana Seafront Fish Shack. Very authenic and inexpensive (but not fancy) restaurant at the northern part of the eastern sea promenade.

Drink

Burgas has many cafés and small bars. On the main streets you will bump into their chairs especially in summer.

Broadway and Silver Club are good places for a cocktail and modern dance and pop music.

In summer the Sea Garden is full of cafeterias and beer-places or small pubs. The sandy line is covered with night-bars and discos playing all kind of music.

Plazza Dance. Disco, commercial music, retro parties, black parties.

Caribe. Open air, seasonally in summer, bar & disco club, Latino and pop music.

Barcode. Electro, trance and lounge music, good for after-party, open seasonally in summer.

Sleep

There are many new hotels in the city.

You can also stay in the suburb called Sarafovo. It has pretty seaside view and easy access to the city centre with public bus line 15 (in 20 min) and the airport (5 min). Sarafovo has numerous hotels. holiday apartments and guesthouses, as well as shops, restaurants and a serviced beach. It offers a good combination of peace and tranquility with easy access to the bustle and nightlife of the city centre. However keep in mind that the taxi to/from the Burgas city center may get a bit experience.

List of many means of accommodation in the city is offered by the Tourist Information Centre at the Burgas Municipality - 2- to 5-star hotels and shared rooms.

If you need something off the beaten track you can also try the private homestays. Especially in summer many old ladies or gentlemen offer accommodation in their houses. If you get off the train or the bus, you will spot their cardboard signs. Some language barriers exist as not all of them speak English. Usually they are hospitable and are a good equivalent to hostel accommodation. If you understand each other and have a good host, sometimes they will prepare a traditional breakfast.

Apart hotel Trilogia. Apartments 300 m from the beach.

Hotel Trilogy. Rooms with a/c and kitchenettes. Rooftop terrace.

Luxury Apartments. A/C, wifi, kitchenettes in full apartments.

Super Central Luxury Apartments. Here you can enjoy an air conditioned apartment with kitchen and living area, with a potentially good view overlooking Troika Square.

Old House Hostel. A true budget place in the heart of Burgas with limited comfort and not-so-great cleanliness. Small dorms with single beds, shared bath rooms. Private rooms available. Shared kitchen. Manager/receptionist doesn't speak English and may be a bit grumpy, so be patient and get your translation app ready. In March 2021, many of the visitors were long-term tenants staying for a couple of months.